Sustainable Landscaping: Bio-diverse Gardens

Creating biodiverse gardens and landscapes.

Many suburban landscapes contain a few dozen or so species of plants. Most of them are exotic species that were imported from other regions of the world and in a sense, like most of us, become naturalized to their environment. A bio-diverse garden has many species of plants, some native and others non-invasive exotics.

To make your yard a place that has more species diversity consider using a variety of native plants that have grown and prospered in this bioregion since the last Ice Age. Consider establishing areas that, such as the perimeter of your property, lend themselves to a more natural state. Work in species of plants that will attract and support a wide variety of and wildlife as well as beneficial insects and pollinators. This can also be accomplished on a smaller scale where space is limited. Again the trick is to use a wide variety of species that will interact with the environment around you, both below ground and above ground as well.